This is a page to track the status and provide details about the "light-desktop" environment and meta-package. This is a near identical reproduction of the Lubuntu desktop interface. ``[It] uses the minimal desktop LXDE, and a selection of light applications. We focus on speed and energy-efficiency. Because of this, [it] has very low hardware requirements.'' The goal is to provide a consistent, standard desktop that is tuned for NetBSD and supported and maintained by NetBSD. Lubuntu's desktop was chosen because:

It works for a known audience. (Ubuntu's popularity contest shows 16037 installations and 2779 very recent uses.)

It is a simpler case than maintaining Gnome, KDE, or XFce.

It is considered "lightweight" versus more popular alternatives.

By using outsider's choices it alleviates bikesheds. Let's stay with this decision for at least six months. (No bikeshedding until mid-November 2012.)

The meta-package has many dependencies even though it is called "light". It uses cups, foomatic-filters, dbus, abiword, dejavu-ttf, liberation-ttf, elementary-icon-theme, leafpad, xpad, audacious, gnome-system-tools (no GNOME libraries), evince, file-roller, gnumeric, galculator, scrot, pidgin, and many other packages. It is a complete, usable operating system.

Note that some features of Lubuntu are Linux specific and so NetBSD alternatives are needed.

The desktop is currently in use and is mostly usable. For basic usage steps, see here: light-desktop-usage